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Jan Žižka
Jan Zizka was the leader of the Hussite Rebels during their revolt against the Catholic Church. The Hussites were a religious group founded by Jan Hus, who opposed many practices of the Catholic church, including indulgences. When Hus was burned at the stake for heresy, the Hussites rose in rebellion against the Catholics, who mustered armies in a Crusade in response. Before the revolt, Zizka was the son of a gentry family in a small village in Bohemia. Zizka was attached to the Bohemian royal court since his youth, and later became the chamberlain to Queen Sophia. Zizka also fought at the Battle of Grunwald during the war between the Polish and Lithuanians and the Teutonic Knights. After Jan Hus was executed in 1415, his followers rose in revolt. Zizka quickly rose to prominence as a masterful tactician, using knowledge of European cavalry warfare to devise tactics to defeat armored knights. Zizka's revolutionary tactic used crossbowmen, hand cannoneers, and small cannon or houfnice mounted within the armored wagons to defeat charging cavalry. Zizka would place these wagons into a circular "wagon fort", and fire guns and crossbows out of gun ports in the wagons at the charging cavalry. The swarm of fire would kill or wound both the attacking knights and their horses. The Hussite infantry and cavalry would then charge out from behind the wagons and attack the disorganized, often unhorsed and wounded survivors. Zizka himself would often lead the charge out from behind the wagons, proving to be a skilled personal combatant with his favored weapon, a flanged mace. Battle vs. Henry V (by SPARTAN 119) Bohemia, 1418, Alternate universe where Henry V took part in the anti-Hussite crusades As morning rose on the field of battle, the silence was broken by the thunder of cannon. Henry V's bombards opened up on the ring of wagons that surrounded the to top of the hill where the Jan Zizka's men were camped. The first of the cannon ball blew through the walls of a war wagon, killing a Hussite rebel behind it, before the projectile continued, bouncing off the ground and flying lethally through the Hussite camp, cutting down here and there. Several more cannonballs flew through the camp, covering the English longbowmen and infantry who advanced forward. Jan Zizka, however, stood firm with his men, and give the order to fire the cannons mounted between the wagons. The houfnice guns opened up, firing on the English bombards, as well as the advancing English troops. The cannon balls blew through the thickest of plate armor, cutting down men and blasting the mountings of bombards to pieces. About 200 yards from the side of the hill, the English longbowmen fired, sending a storm of arrows raining down on the Hussite camp. The first arrows cut down soldiers in the middle of the wagon ring, some dying immediately, while others were simply wounded. As the volley of wood and steel rained down, a Hussite commander yelled "Incoming arrows! Cover the wagons!" The Hussites manning the war wagons raised the folding wooden "roofs" of the war wagons. Arrows and hand cannon bullets stuck themselves in the wooden roof or bounced off the iron plating on the wagons, leaving the men inside the mobile fortresses unharmed. Most of the men in the center of the wagons scrambled for cover from the falling arrows. When all the barrage had ended, a few hundred men were killed or wounded by the arrows, mostly from plunging fire hitting the men in the center of the wagon fort. From the English lines,drums and horns rang out, signalling to the English cavalry and foot men the news. Time to charge in and finish off the heretics once and for all. The armor of the English knights shone in the sun as they charged towards the Hussites with lances and swords in hand. Behind them, the infantry ran at the enemy with bills raised. At about 100 meters, Jan Zizka gave the order: "Fire!", as he pointed his trademark mace forward. Up and down the row of wagons, houfnice (artillery) and pistalas (hand cannons) spat out fire, smoke, and death in a thunderous roar. The lead knight was pierced through the chest by an cannon ball, which kept going, cutting down man and horse alike. Bullets pierced through knight's armor and into their vulnerable flesh beneath, or tore into the unprotected flanks of horses, bringing the beasts to their knees, and sending the riders falling the ground. As the enemy started to ascend the hill, their ranks were diminished, with hundreds dead, and at least as many wounded. Adding the fire of the hand held weapons were houfnice and swivel guns mounted on and around the wagons. Many of these guns were now loaded with nails, bits of chain, iron scraps from the wagon-mounted forges that supported the army, stones, and even the English's own arrows- plucked for the ground where they fell, and returned the their sends. The improvises shot cut down men left and right, like the canister shot of later generations. Within less than three minutes, the English crusaders were routed by the overwhelming firepower. As the defeated foe began to flee, the Hussite infantry and what cavalry they had charged forth, led by Jan himself, who held his mace high, ready to bring it down on any foes he faced. Hussites swords, maces, axes, flails, hammers, and polearms finished off the scattered, unhorses and wounded survivors of the arrow and gunfire, as Jan and his cavalry charges after the retreating enemy Jan and a unit of cavalry ran off after a group of English knights, led by a man in particular ornate armor covering man and horse alike. It was the king himself. "Protect the king!", one of the English knights yelled, as he charged off with lance raised, ready to make a last stand against the larger number of Hussites. The lance and sword clashed, leaving several of each several men dead on both sides. Jan, however, lead a force of about seven men after the king himself. Realizing he was surrounded and facing the leader of the foe himself, he turned the face Jan and said, "Though I may die, I may still send you to answer to the Lord, heathen!". Henry V charged at Jan Zizka, sword raised. The English king raised his blade and swung it at the Hussite general, but met only the steel shaft of his mace. Jan rode past and turned, ready to make another pass at the king. This time, his mace met Henry's chest, and send the English king flying off his horse, onto his back about six feet away from his mount. Meanwhile, the other Hussites had stopped, looking on at the duel of the two commanders. Jan Zizka charged at Henry and ready to swing is mace, but as the head of his horse was mere feet from him, Henry got you his secondary weapon, a war hammer, and jumped to the other side of Jan's horse. Henry hooked the back of the warhammer around Jan's leg and pulled him off his horse, onto his back. The king then raised his warhammer and said, "Repent before you I send the to meet thy maker". Jan, however, responded with a rapid sweep of his mace, striking Henry in the lower left leg, dropping the king to the ground. Jan then raised his mace and swung it down on the king, denting his helmet and caving in his skull. The king was dead. Jan Zizka raised his mace in the air and yelled, "Our victory is the will of God!" At the end of the battle, over 2000, English crusaders had died, while the rest of the army retreated, demoralized, and started the long march back home. WINNER: Jan Zizka Experts Opinion Jan Zizka won this battle because of his sheer tactical genius. While both men were tactical innovators who used the latest technology to win their battles, Henry simply could not compete with the man who created the forerunners to field artillery and armored vehicles in the form of his war wagons. Because of this, Jan Zizka's undefeated streak continues with his first battle of Deadliest Fiction Wiki! To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here. Category:Warriors Category:Real Warriors Category:Historical Warriors Category:Medieval Warriors Category:Black Powder Warriors Category:Rebels Category:European Warriors